Written questions by Coutinho.

Whether GB Energy will operate energy infrastructure.

Yes. Great British Energy will own, manage, and operate clean energy projects across the country; which could include energy infrastructure. As set out in the Founding Statement, Great British Energy will have five key functions. This means the exact role of Great British Energy will vary from project to project, providing important flexibility to ensure Great British Energy works collaboratively with private companies, local authorities, and communities already operating in the energy space. To meet immediate needs, Great British Energy will initially focus on project development and investment.

What is his expected timetable for GB Energy to cut household energy bills by £300 per year.

The Government's mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower is a sustainable, long-term plan to protect billpayers for good. That’s because in an unstable world, the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. The exact impact and timetable of Great British Energy’s interventions will be determined by detailed development and design of the organisation’s functions which will follow in the coming months.

Whether his Department plans to reduce the standing charge on household energy bills.

The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated. We will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.

What budget he has allocated for legal costs in the event of legal action from businesses following from his decision not to issue new oil and gas licences.

We do not intend to issue new licences to explore new fields and will share more details on our plans in due course. We do not speculate on possible future legal costs.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his policy on decarbonising the grid by 2030 on the cost of constructing Sizewell C.

The capital costs for Sizewell C are commercially sensitive, and subject to ongoing development. We cannot comment further on the cost at this time, but we are committed to Sizewell C, which with other new nuclear projects will play an important role in the Government’s vision for achieving energy independence, lowering consumers’ bills, and securing thousands of good, skilled jobs. Work continues at pace to secure a final investment decision.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his policy on decarbonising the grid by 2030 on the cost of constructing Hinkley Point C.

Hinkley Point C is not a government project and therefore construction costs are a matter for EDF and its development partners on the project.